Revelation 2:12 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

To the angel of the church in Pergamos— Pergamos, formerly the metropolis of the Hellespontic Mysia, and the seat of the Attalick kings, is, by the Turks, with some little variation, still called Bergamo, and has its situation about 64 miles to the north of Smyrna. Here are good buildings, but more ruins: The place is almost wholly occupied by the Turks, very few families of Christians being left, whose state is very deplorable. Here is only one church remaining, dedicated to St. Theodorus: and that the name of Christ is not wholly lost and forgotten in Pergamos, is owing to the care of the metropolitan of Smyrna, who continually sends a minister to perform the sacred offices. The cathedral church of St. John is buried in its own ruins, its angel or bishop removed, and its fair pillars adorn the graves of its destroyers, the Turks, who are estimated to be two or three thousand souls in number. Its other fine church, called Santa Sophia, is turned into a mosque, and daily profaned with the blasphemies of Mahomet. There are not, in the whole town, above a dozen or fifteen families of Christians, who till the ground to gain their bread, and live in the most abject and sordid service. There is the less reason to wonder at the wretched condition of this church, when we consider that it was the very throne of Satan, Revelation 2:13 that they ran greedily after the error of Balaam, Revelation 2:14 and that they held the impure doctrine of the Nicolaitans. It was denounced to them to repent, or else Christ would come unto them quickly, and fight against them, Revelation 2:16 as the event proves that he has done.